February 9, 2008–Diablo Cody won the WGA's original screenplay award for Fox Searchlight's “Juno” and Ethan and Joel Coen have taken the adapted screenplay trophy for Miramaxs “No Country for Old Men.”
Codys tale of teen pregnancy topped the scripts for “Michael Clayton,” “The Savages,” “Lars and the Real Girl” and “Knocked Up.”
The Coen brothers' adaptation of Corman McCarthy's novel about a Texas crime spree won over the scripts for “There Will Be Blood,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” “Into the Wild” and “Zodiac.”
NBC's “30 Rock,” HBO's “The Wire”, HBO's “The Sopranos,” NBC's “The Office” and AMC's “Mad Men” won the top TV series awards at the WGA Awards.
Announcements came Saturday evening at the “recognition reception” for the WGA Award nominees at the Broadway Millenium Hotel in New York. The WGA West cancelled its awards show because of the strike.
“30 Rock” won the comedy series award over “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Flight of the Conchords” and “The Office,” which won the kudo last year. “30 Rock” writers include Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Dave Finkel, Daisy Gardner, Donald Glover, Matt Hubbard, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher and Ron Weiner.
“The Wire” won the drama series trophy over “Dexter,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Mad Men” and “The Sopranos,” which won the award last year. Writers for “The Wire” include Ed Burns, Chris Collins, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon and William F. Zorzi.
“The Office” took the comedy episode award for “The Job,” penned by Paul Liberstein & Michael Schur. “The Sopranos” won the outstanding episode award in drama series for “The Second Comiong,” penned by Terence Winter.
“Mad Men” took the new series award over “Damages,” “Flight of the Conchords,” “Pushing Daisies” and “The Sarah Silverman Program.” “Mad Men” writers include Lisa Albert, Bridget Bedard, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Tom Palmer, Chris Provenzano, Robin Veith and Matthew Weiner.
Hallmark's “Pandemic” won the longform original trophy for writers Bryce Zabel and Jackie Zabel. TNT's “The Company: A Story of the CIA” took the longform adaptation award for Ken Nolan, based on the novel by Robert Littell.
The awards event launched a few hours after the WGA East concluded a mostly upbeat membership meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel to review terms of the tentative WGA deal.
FILM AND TELEVISION AWARD WINNERS
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
JUNO, Written by Diablo Cody; Fox Searchlight
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, Screenplay by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, Based on the Novel
by Cormac McCarthy; Miramax
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, Written by Alex Gibney; THINKFilm
DRAMATIC SERIES
THE WIRE, Written by Ed Burns, Chris Collins, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, George
Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon, William F. Zorzi; HBO
COMEDY SERIES
30 ROCK, Written by Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Dave
Finkel, Daisy Gardner, Donald Glover, Matt Hubbard, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami
Sagher, Ron Weiner; NBC
NEW SERIES
MAD MEN, Written by Lisa Albert, Bridget Bedard, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria
Jacquemetton, Tom Palmer, Chris Provenzano, Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner; AMC
EPISODIC DRAMA any length one airing time
THE SECOND COMING (THE SOPRANOS), Written by Terence Winter; HBO
EPISODIC COMEDY any length one airing time
THE JOB (THE OFFICE), Written by Paul Lieberstein & Michael Schur; NBC
LONG FORM ORIGINAL over one hour one or two parts, one or two airing times
PANDEMIC, Written by Bryce Zabel & Jackie Zabel; Hallmark Channel
LONG FORM ADAPTATION over one hour one or two parts, one or two airing times
THE COMPANY: A STORY OF THE CIA, Teleplay by Ken Nolan, Based on the novel by
Robert Littell; TNT
ANIMATION any length one airing time
KILL GIL VOLUMES 1&2 (THE SIMPSONS), Written by Jeff Westbrook; FOX
COMEDY/VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES
THE COLBERT REPORT, Written by Bryan Adams, Michael Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Rich
Dahm, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Peter Grosz, Peter Gwinn, Barry Julien,
Jay Katsir, Laura Krafft, Frank Lesser, Tom Purcell, Allison Silverman; Comedy Central
(*Editors Note: There are no nominations this year in the Comedy/Variety Music, Awards,
Tributes Specials category.)
DAYTIME SERIALS
THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS, Written by Lynn Marie Latham, Scott Hamner, Jeff
Gottesfeld & Cherie Bennet, Bernard Lechowick, James Stanley, Natalie Minardi Slater,
Lynsey Dufour, Marina Alburger, Sara Bibel, Janice Ferri Esser, Eric Freiwald & Linda
Schreiber, Joshua McCaffrey, Sandra Weintraub; CBS
CHILDREN'S SCRIPT – EPISODIC & SPECIALS
LOOK WHOSE NOT TALKING (FLIGHT 29 DOWN), Written by D. J. MacHale; Discovery Kids
CHILDRENS SCRIPT- LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
JOHNNY KAPAHALA: BACK ON BOARD, Teleplay by Ann Austen & Douglas Sloan and Max
Enscoe & Annie deYoung, Story by Ann Austen & Douglas Sloan; Disney Channel
VIDEOGAME WRITING
DEAD HEAD FRED, Written by Dave Ellis and Adam Cogan, D3 Publisher
DOCUMENTARY CURRENT EVENTS
RETURN OF THE TALIBAN (FRONTLINE), Written by Martin Smith; PBS
DOCUMENTARY OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
BILLY STRAYHORN: LUSH LIFE (INDEPENDENT LENS), Written by Robert Levi and Robert
Seidman; PBS
TELEVISION NEWS REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING
REPORT
AMISH SCHOOL SHOOTING (WORLD NEWS WITH CHARLES GIBSON), Written by Josh
Landis, Joel Siegel, Julia Kathan, Charles Gibson; ABC
TELEVISION NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE (GOOD MORNING, AMERICA), Written by Mary Pflum; ABC
RADIO AWARD WINNERS
RADIO DOCUMENTARY
GO WIRELESS, GET CONNECTED! ABCS TECHNOLOGY SURVIVAL GUIDE, Written by
Andrea Smith; ABC
RADIO NEWS REGULARLY SCHEDULED OR BREAKING
WORLD NEWS THIS WEEK, Written by Marianne J. Pryor; ABC
RADIO NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY
PASSAGES, Written by Gail Lee; CBS
PROMOTION WRITING AND GRAPHIC ART AWARD WINNERS
TELEVISION ON-AIR PROMOTION
DAYS OF OUR LIVES: MINI-SERIES, THE BRADYS VS. THE DIMERAS, Written by
Judie Henninger; NBC
TELEVISION GRAPHIC ART
ONE PRICEY PANTS SUIT, William J. Hennessy Jr.; ABC News
TELEVISION GRAPHIC ANIMATION
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS . . . MATT LAUER: TEASE CAMPAIGN 2007, Joe Strobino and
Miranda Patterson; NBC